Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 (iOS)

If you have been hiding under a rock since 1997 then you’ll have no idea who Harry Potter is, however I don’t think it’s even possible for anyone to not know the story of Harry Potter. Even if you haven’t read the books, you will have seen the movie or at least heard about it one way or another.

Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 follows the story of the final three books from the Harry Potter series: Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows. Most importantly it’s all in Lego! Who doesn’t love Lego, right?

Of course if you have played any of the other games in the Lego series then the concept and game play will be familiar. The Lego games have been released on lots of different platforms, from your high spec PS3 and Xbox 360 to your hand held Nintendo DS/3DS and iOS devices. There really is no excuse for not having played a Lego game at this point.

If you haven’t read any of the books or seen the movies then you can still play this game. Granted there are a few occasions where knowledge of the original story is needed – for example what spell to use – but the hints throughout the game will help.

The graphics on the iPhone and iPad version are great, as with all other Lego games. The controls however are something of a let down, especially on the iPhone. Due to the small screen size I often found the virtual D-Pad too small for the job. Quite often you need to move your character and use your wand quite quickly so it can get a little clumsy at times. On the iPad the D-Pad is obviously that bit bigger but I still had some problems at times. I suppose once you are used to the range of the D-Pad then it’s fine, it’s just personal taste whether you like that initial “getting used to the controls” bit. If you have nice dainty little fingers then you might not have the problems I had. Stupid chubby paws.

As with all the Lego games the cutscenes are funny and link the parts you play, pushing the plot along while making gentle fun of the source material. I’m always amazed what people can make with Lego figures when it comes to the humour in the game. As with most of the Lego games, the story has a bit more humour than the original story and the facial expressions on Lego people always gives me a giggle.

The puzzles and general game play isn’t difficult. It’s very accessible for younger children but for us older Harry Potter fans there is still nostalgic fun to be had with the Lego. Do kids still play with Lego these days?

As you progress you get to switch characters depending on your surroundings. You can’t expect Harry to do all the work. There is replayability here too as some characters don’t unlock until later in the game but you can then go back to previous levels with those characters and do things that were previous locked out earlier.

The soundtrack and effects are good throughout, and ff anything I just LOVE the sound effect when building with the Lego.

If you like Harry Potter and Lego, and other Lego games, and you’re often on the move then this version of the game is ideal. Personally I’d rather play it on the PS3 or Xbox 360 but then you are going to pay a higher price for the privilege.

The price tag for the iOS version is very reasonable when you think about how much gaming you will get from Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7.